📖 Meaning
Like a rabbit suddenly darting and a wild duck swiftly flying off. It is a metaphor for acting with great speed and agility. The idiom describes movements or responses that are swift, sudden, and decisive.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Lüshi Chunqiu (Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals), a compendium compiled in the late Warring States period (c. 239 BCE) under the patronage of the Qin statesman Lü Buwei. In the chapter 'On Awe' (论威), the text discusses warfare and battlefield conditions, noting that when one knows a position cannot be held for long, one must move with the speed of a leaping rabbit and a flying wild duck to reach the deadly ground. The passage uses the imagery of swift animal movement to illustrate the urgency required in military action.
💡 Example Usage
命令一下，部队兔起凫举，迅速占领了前方高地。
Once the order was given, the troops moved with the speed of a darting rabbit and a flying duck, swiftly seizing the high ground ahead.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 兔起凫举
- Pinyin: tǔ qǐ fú jǔ
- Literal Translation: rabbit, rise, wild duck, fly up
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4